Potato-cutting machine.



No. 859,345. PA'TENTED JULY 9, 1907. J. J. SIMON. POTATO CUTTINGMACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001213, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JACOB .T. SIMON, OF MeDONA-LDSVILLE, OHIO.

w POTATO-CUTTING MAC Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July9, 1-9o7.

Application filed October 18, 1906. Serial No. 338,836-

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, JACOB .T. SIMON, a citizen of the United States,residing at McDonaldsville, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio,have invented a new and useful Potato-Cutting Machine, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to a machine for cutting potatoes and othervegetables and fruits into small pieces, as for use in planting; and theobjects of the invention are to provide a machine in which the plungerreciprocates between opposing cutting knives with means forautomatically feeding the machine from the hopper and for operating itwith foot or other power, thus leaving the operators hands free forfilling thehopper or for removing the cuttings. These general objectsand other minor ones are attained by the construction, arrangement andmechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figiu'e isa perspective view of the entire machine; Fig. 2, an enlarged similarview of the machine proper with parts broken away to show some details;Fig. 3, a plain view of the machine proper with the hopper andridge-block removed; Fig. 4, a detached perspective view of the plungershowing the ridge-block separated therefrom; Fig. 5, a similar view ofmachine head with parts broken away to show some details; and Fig. 6, asimilar view of two of the knives slightly separated.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The head of the machine may be composed of the table plate 1 on whichare formed or attached the side walls 2, and the plate may be extendedon one side to form the seat 3.

The machine is preferably supported on legs, as 4 and 4, and on the bar5 connecting the legs 4 may be pivotally mounted the pedals 6, which arethus in convenient location to be manipulated by the feet of theoperator on the seat. The pulleys 7 are journaled preferably on theouter sides of the walls at each end of the head, over which pulleys anoperating cord or cable 8 is passed, one along each of the side walls,thence down at each end to a connection with the respective pedals, theseparating struts 9 being preferably provided to hold the cords in linewith the pulleys.

The plunger 10 is provided above and below with the guide plates 11 onthe ends of which are extended the diverging shaped runners 12, thelower pairs of which are adapted to travel in the ways 13 and the upperpairs against the way guides 14 longitudinally formed respectively onthe inner faces of the side walls 2. The ends 15 of the plungers arepreferably laterally concaved to conform to the U shape of the guideplates; andthe ends are also slotted, as at 16 and 16 to receive theknives l7 and 17 which with the knives 17 are formedor attached betweenthe side walls of the head at the riespective ends of the stroke of theplunger.

The swinging plates or gates 18 are hinged in the transverse media-nline to the side walls .on each side of the plunger, and extend endwisein both directions between the guide plate of the plunger. The gates arepreferably curved inward, and the springs 19 which are attached to thewalls on each side are arranged to press the free ends of the wingstogether in the longitudinal median line at or near the respectiveknives, the ends of the wings being properly notched as at 20, ifnecessary, to receive the knives.

The ridge-block 21 is formed or attached in the transverse median lineon the upper side of the plunger and ger can be operated endwise betweenthe side walls, by

a proper manipulation of the pedals.

The hopper 24 is formed or attached on top of the side walls, in thebottom of which hopper is provided the elongated opening 25 throughwhich the potatoes are free to drop between the gates on alternate sidesof the ridge block. When the hopper is filled with potatoes and theplunger is moved to one end of its stroke, one of the potatoes is freeto drop at the other end onto table plate between the U shaped runnersand the spring I gates, as shown in Fig. 3. The plunger can then beoperated to the other end of its stroke thus forcing the potato againstthe knives, in so doing spreading the gates apart, whereupon the potatois sliced into small pieces and the cuttings are free to drop throughthe opening 26, one of which is provided for that purpose in each end ofthe table plates.

It is evident that by reason of the lateral concavity of the ends of theplunger, assisted if necessary by the spring gates, the potato ispositively presented in proper position to the knives to be cut into theexact number and size of pieces predetermined by the location andarrangement of the knives; that is to say, the presentation of eachpotato to the knives is not left to chance, but is completely controlledby the machine.

In the operation of the machine the inclined faces 27 of the ridge blockseparates and holds up the superimposed potatoes in the hopper, and oneor more potatoes are free to drop onto the table plate at the other endof the plunger, when the operation of cutting can be repea-ted by areverse movement of the plunger. The opening in the bottom of the hopperis preferably extended to a short distance beyond the knives so that ifa piece of potato is cut off above the upper knife it can dropdownbeyond it. The side walls are preferably cut away in theiriniddleparts and the clamp-bar 28 is adapted to operate in the recesses 29 thusformed, and the elastic stops 30 are preferably provided at the ends ofthese recesses against which stops the clamp bar is adapted to butt whenthe plunger is at the respective ends of its reciprocating movements.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1.'A vegetable cutting machine comprising a head hav' ing longitudinalways in the side walls and opposing knives in the end parts thereof, aplunger between the knives with laterally concaved ends and havingrunners on its sides adapted to operate in and along the ways, therebeing an inclined faced ridge block on the transverse median line of theplunger, a hopper on the head having an opening in its bottom spanningthe space between the knives, and means mounted on the head foroperating the plunger to and fro between the knives.

2. A vegetable cutting machine comprising a head having longitudinalways in the side Walls and opposing knives in the end parts thereof anda reciprocating plunger between the knives with concaved ends and havingrunners on its sides adapted to operate in and along the ways, andspring gates on each side at the ends of the plunger.

3. A vegetable cutting machine comprising a head, a plunger in the headhaving a concaved end, knives in the head presented to the plunger,spring gates on each side of the plunger at its concaved end, and meansmounted on the head for operating the plunger to and from the knives.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB J. SIMON.

In presence of Many A. C ivnuiinon, JosEPH FREASE.

